Recently in Bedding Category

Cuddledown has a new bedding introduction: Villa d' Este a beautiful print inspired by Tivoli, Italy's famous Villa d' Este estate. You can learn more about the villa in Italy here.



The print is on a 350 thread count Italian (of course!) percale.  The rich red is on an ivory ground.  It is available in flat sheets, fitted sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers and pillow shams.  Prices range from $49 to $249.

I love prints like this!  They look best in rooms that are pretty plain however (think white or off-white walls and dark woods perhaps), rooms without too much other visual "noise" going on, or else it could look gaudy.  These sheets are a statement on their own, so you want to maximize the elegant look by making them the focal point of the room.

I've always been a sucker for Chinoiserie and Japonisme... so I was pleased to see this new pattern at Williams Sonoma Home: Watercolor Pagoda Duvet Covers & Shams.  It's a beautiful print in neutral tones on a 55% linen, 45% cotton blend fabric.

Echelon Home has a new print called "Interlock".  I love that it looks modern and clean, but is not too weird or garishly colored like some modern prints can be.  And, the super low prices are pretty compelling too!  A full/queen duvet cover set that includes pillow shams is just $79.  The print is done on 300 thread count Egyptian cotton sateen.

Echelon Interlock Egyptian Cotton Duvet Cover Set, in navy.

Dwell Studio has long been a favorite of mine.  They make some great prints and do quality detailing like adding linen trim...  So great news - they're having a sample sale!



If you're not in NYC, you can shop on their website.  It's not clear what will be included in the sample sale, but hopefully they'll have a few of their current line items like this really unique peacock print.  Normally, a full/queen duvet set is a rather pricey $280, so hopefully it will be on sale!

It can be a dilemma in the Summer to decide what to cover your bed with; with the heat, you really don't want anything heavy at all - but just having sheets leaves your bed looking kind of naked!  So here's a good option in one of my favorite materials - - Linen!

Bella Notte Quilted Linen Coverlet, $427 for full/queen size.  Yes, it is pricey but linen lasts forever, and it is linen on both the front and back sides, and it's made in the USA.

Lots of people like to sleep on percale sheets during the Summer because of their crisp feeling, which also makes you feel more cool (there is no fuzziness on the sheets).

Garnet Hill has a great option: Signature Hemstitch Percale.  It's 250 thread count and made with Egyptian cotton.  It's available in nine colors and you can even have it monogrammed.


It's sold open stock: pillowcases $38 - $42, flat sheets $25 - $65 and fitted sheets $19 - $65.

Here is what a few reviewers from Garnet Hill have to say about it:

"These sheets do indeed remind me of sheets of my childhood. I love the crispness. They wash beautifully, going from dryer to bed with little to no wrinkles. Easily fit our 18" mattress. I will definitely be buying another set. The hard part will be selecting the color - the all look so beautiful."

"Love percale and this is crisp and pleasing. The finish could be a bit softer on the skin, but overall as good as I've been able to find (now that everyone makes those soft floppy sateen-finish linens!)"

"I read where others, mostly younger folks, rated these sheets poorly. Mostly because they weren't "soft enough", etc..... Obviously these "kids" don't know what crisp sheets are. The Percale Sheets are NOT supposed to be soft cotton. THAT'S THE POINT! They are supposed to be CRISP and firm, just like the sheets were when I was a kid. I have been married for 24 years and my wife and I have searched our entire marriage looking for the old fashioned CRISP sheets and finally found them! These are the BEST! "

The bad reviews generally say that they're not soft enough... which make sense because percale is not for the "soft" customer!

About this time of year I like to dream about setting up my (non-existent) Summer house in the Hamptons. I'd have it beachy casual but well done... slipcovers in linen, Hermes beach towels, pale woods...

For bedding, I'd defintely have this beautiful Pottery Barn watercolor shell print in one of the rooms.

Seashore Organic Cotton Duvet Cover and Shams (open stock $39 - $169)


I actually like duvet covers in the Summer because you don't have to put a duvet inside! I use them without and it makes a nice, light coverlet.

Look at the detail:

The pattern was created by an in-house artist at Pottery Barn.

So, I just need to keep working on getting Summer house... maybe next year! 

I know hardly any of us like to iron sheets or have time to for that matter.  For me, I like to have a perfect looking bed so I usually iron the pillowcases and the top of the flat sheet so when you fold it down it looks nice.  Sometimes though, I just don't have time, and to heck with it, I just have to put un-ironed sheets on the bed. 

So here's a solution, the Company Store's Wrinkle-Free 550-Thread Count Supima Sheets. They are 100% Supima cotton and come in a quite nice color palette.

A queen sheet set is $159.99.  Extra standard pillowcases are $34.99. 

I LOVE sleeping on pure linen sheets, what a treat.  They're so expensive though and hard to find.  So good news - - Restoration Hardware has come out with a fabulous line of linen bedding that is reasonably priced and comes in great colors (typically places offer it only in white and ivory).
 

I've always liked The Company Store. They seem to have a great selection of basics, and well, really everything.  They seem to be one of the few places that still carries Charisma bedding.

Take a look at this style: Painted Fern.



Wow, doesn't that look so tranquil and spa-like?  I love the soft blue/green tone on the neutral ground.  A queen duvet cover is a bit pricey at $299.99.  Standard shams are $89.99 each.  The fabric is mercerized cotton, it doesn't specify thread count.

Williams Sonoma Home is having a great offer right now on their Chambers Heritage Italian-made Hotel Collection sheets - 30% off!  They offer White Hotel Bedding and Ivory Hotel Bedding. White has six different options for the double line embroidery: tone on tone, sand, blue, chocolate, black and brick. For ivory there are four options: tone on tone, olive, sand and chocolate.  The fabric is 300 thread count Egyptian cotton percale.  This is such a classic look, you can never go wrong with it.


And, if you're a monogram loving person, you can add your monogram!  The items are sold open stock.  A queen sheet set adds up to $275.80.  A queen duvet cover with two standard shams adds up to $387.80.  (monogram and plain are actually the same price, and they're offering free shipping too!)

When I see certain bedding, it makes me think:  oh! I so want that for my country house, or beach house... except that I don't have a country house or a beach house!  I absolutely LOVE bedding and interior design in all different styles, but when you only have one place to live, it limits your options.... you don't want to have a big muddled mess of all different styles after all!

When I saw these cute Tommy Hilfiger Lobster sheets, I really loved them and would like them for my (imaginary) beach house!  I'd cover them with a white coverlet to keep things simple and to tone done the bit of silliness of having lobster sheets (when you're an adult).

They come in sizes twin - queen. You can get them at Bon Ton. A queen set is $64.99. They are 200 thread count. The stripe is a print, not a yarn dye.  Okay, so even if you don't have your own beach house, these would be fun sheets to bring out to a Hamptons or NJ Shore share house!

I was browsing Cuddledown, of of my favorite sources for nice bedding, and ran across this really cool Asian print... this really makes me wish I had a big house with lots of bedrooms... I would love to put this in one of them...

It reminds me of kimino print patterns.  It features cranes and chrysanthemums on a mercerized 350 thread count percale.  Beautiful!  It's called Reika.

There's an insane deal to be had right now at Restoration Hardware on their Wentworth Crest Linen Bedding. It's 100% linen and features a large crest on the duvet cover and smaller ones on the shams. The euro shams are plain (no crest).

It comes in 2 colors: ivory (shown above) and linen. A full/queen duvet cover's regular price is $249, sale $144.99!  Standard shams regular $79 each, sale $44.99!  Incredible prices for 100% linen, wow!  Hurry, I suspect these are going to go fast!

Faux fur throw blankets hit the market several years ago (early 2000s I think) and have remained a surprisingly resilient item in the marketplace. I say surprising because there is a certain kitsch factor...

I have to confess however, that I have always liked faux fur throws.  Not the scary leopard or zebra ones but the classic ones that look like a mink coat made into a blanket...

Pottery Barn has a nice one this season and it's on sale now for $119 (regularly $149). They're also offering free shipping on this item.  The ivory one is already sold out.

 

I like the idea of draping the dark mink throw across the end of your bed... and making the bed up with some dramatic sheets like some old ones I have in my sheet collection, Ralph Lauren Galahad.

Frette is having a pre-holiday sale with up to 60% off select items.  You can get an extra 10% off online orders with the code PH09 at checkout (valid through 12/24).

For example the Triplo Bourdon Queen Sheet Set below is on sale for $507, down from $845.  With the extra 10% off it would be $456.30.  They have a bunch of different bedding styles on sale!

I guess I've been a little out of it with Ralph Lauren bedding - I didn't even realize they had started Lauren Spa. It's a collection of 100% organic bedding and bath items including the Desert Retreat collection below. They use certified organic cotton, it is both GOTS (global organic textile standard) and Oeko-tex certified.

Ralph Lauren Spa Desert Retreat Leopard Duvet Cover

I love the way it's leopard, but subtle. It doesn't scream leopard at you, which is a good thing!  The full/queen duvet cover is on sale for $209.99. It doesn't mention the thread count, but it is long staple, organic cotton.

I've always liked traditional damask prints... here's one with a large scale print on crisp white, from brocade home.  The queen is $149.

The larger scale print in a nice cocoa color on white gives it a more modern look... damask is usually quite traditional but somehow this look works.

I remember loving flannel sheets when I was little... especially new one (before the flannel gets all matted down).  Now I can't say I'm much of a fan.  Flannels are usually some of the cheapest sheets in the marketplace and often feature silly/seasonal prints.

If you did want to get flannel for the winter season perhaps, I'd suggest a high quality German flannel like Cuddledown's. It's 6 ounce weight and certified eco-friendly... of course it's also more expensive than the typical flannel.  But it's worth it unless you plan on throwing it away after a season (which is pretty wasteful).  It's sold open stock, a queen set (flat, fitted, cases) adds up to $147.

Bedding Chic hasn't checked in with Frette for a while... so I thought I'd write about them today.  Among their new collections, in the Frette Essentials category they have a wonderful new style called Bicolore.  It's available in sheet sets and duvet covers/shams.  It features cotton sateen with contrst color insets.  It's quite striking especially with the gorgeous shade of blue they've used below.  It's also available in chocolate brown, sand and ivory.

A queen sheet set is $1,045 and a queen duvet cover is $945.

I do find it rather hysterical that they give next to no information about the style.  They just say 100% cotton and made in Italy (and the item sizes).  Why kind of cotton?  Does the fitted sheet have elastic all the way around? What thread count? We all know that thread count is over-rated, but still, when spending over $1000 for a sheet set, shouldn't you get to know what it is?

I'm sure it's amazing and their core customers know that, but it seems a bit smug perhaps?

Linenplace.com has the cutest feature up on their site right now with a panda that explains thread count along with a "Truth About Thread Count" article.  He explains how thread count is really not that important and people shouldn't be so focused on it.  It's SO CUTE.

He's the same panda that's on their home page now too.

Linenplace has some good deals right now in the bedding department.  One of the best deals is 100% organic cotton bedding on sale... a queen sheet set is only $74.  Organics can be so expensive, so that's a really good deal.  Also, 600 thread count Egyptian cotton in either a solid sateen or a stripe are $89 for a queen sheet set.  That's their everyday price too, also a very good deal.

If you'd like to sleep in a big cloud, here's the perfect quilt from Pottery Barn: Cloud Quilt ($249 for full/queen).  The quilt is ruched cotton sateen and backed with silk habotai. The fill is polyester fiber batting.

The matching shams come in standard and euro for $49 and $59 each.

I love owls!  So it was a nice surprise to see that Garnet Hill is doing owl print sheets, Night Owl Sateen, open stock prices from $32 to $98.

They're done in 330 thread count, 100% cotton.  It's nice that they're not flannel... it seems that most companies do their novelty prints in flannel.  I'm not a flannel fan because it doesn't wear well, it's so soft at first but it gets bunched up and pilled pretty quickly.

This is such a cute design, I wish that they had left off the hats etc. which makes these sheets more of a seasonal item, and not for year-round use.  I mean, really, you can't have your owls wearing hats in the summer!

I always love fun prints like this but I would never put them on my own bed, I like to keep that pretty classic looking... but I think these are great for a guest bed or kid's bedroom.

The Giving Tree has several styles of Yves Delorme on sale right now, including Byzance, a large scaled byzantine damask pattern.  The full/queen duvet cover is normally $725, now on sale for $435! (40% off)

Towels are just 20% off.  The Etoile, cotton/modal blend, and the Olympe (cotton) are both included. I like Delorme's towels because they are not as huge as most brands.  The bath towel is just 24 x 49 inches, whereas the standard bath towel is 27 x 54".  I actually like the smaller size since I am not a large person.  I love the Olympe towels, washed with Downy they come out very nice and soft...

I'm not a big fan of Macy's, I'm more of a Bloomingdale's girl... but taking a look at the offerings from Macy's Hotel Collection, I would say that they are certainly rivaling Bloomingdale's Hudson Park Collection.  Frankly I'm surprised, pleasantly surprised that is.

Take a look at these fabulous designs:

Hotel Collection "Frame" Bedding

Hotel Collection "Rings" Bedding

Hotel Collection "Glacier" Bedding

Nice, right? Sleek, modern, unfussy.  Love it.

For some reason I've always been fond of Asian motifs. (one of my great treasures for example is an antique Hiroshige wood block print that I found at a shop in New Hampshire) Cuddledown has a wonderful Asian print that they're calling Tea Time Toile, although to me it's not really a toile at all.

It's done in a mercerized 600 thread count sateen. Queen flat and fitted are $99 each, standard cases are $49 (pair).  The queen duvet cover is $169. If something like this would be too busy for you, but you still love it - - it's good to use it as an accent to your other bedding.  Like bedskirt and euro shams for example would be a nice way to mix it in.

Inhabit has introduced some really cool looking bamboo/cotton blend duvet covers and sheets!  The fabric is 400 thread count Oeko-Tex certified 80% bamboo / 20% organic cotton.  (what the heck is Oeko-Tex? Read about it here)

The Duvet Cover is called Morning Glory in Silver, a queen set (cover and shams) is $320.

The sheets (Plus in Ivory and Silver) they're showing with it have a cool geometic design and are made with the same bamboo/organic cotton fabric. They're sold open stock: queen flat or fitted $122, standard cases $52.

The throw pillows are the Tall Grass (13x24 as shown, $68) and Wildflower (18x18 as shown, $60) patterns. Oh, and you can also see a Morning Glory pillow in back ($60 for 18x18).

What a fabulous look, I love this! 

Finding extra long twin sheets that aren't hideous or poor quality can be challenging.  Thankfully The Company Store has some great options, they're all high quality and in tasteful color palettes. I mean really, not all college kids like cheesy stuff with tacky logos, etc. (for example VS Pink, I don't know if they make bedding but if they do, that's something to avoid!)

These 350 Thread Count Supima Damask Stripe Sheets are a very good option.  Just $24 for the flat, $34 for the x-long fitted and $29 for a pair of standard cases. They also have matching duvet covers and shams.

The 400 Thread Count Wrinkle-Free Sateen is another good option. The plum and sable (dark brown) colors are fabulous!  The twin flat is $29, x-long fitted $39 and pair of standard cases $29. This style also has matching duvet covers.

So the tasteful young ones needn't suffer after all...

Williams Sonoma Home is having a big bedding sale right now, many items also with free shipping!  I love WS Home, you can always be assured of great design and high quality...

In duvet covers, I love their coral and greek key jacquards.

And in sheets, the Vine Floral and the Narrow Border Sateen.